Awards – Are they worth your time and effort?

They take time to enter, there’s potential cost involved, and there’s no crystal ball that guarantees you’ll win, so are awards really good for business?

As a business owner, there’s no doubt you’ve got a zillion and one other things you could be doing, but there’s good reason why everyone from the local chip shop to the primetime TV show considers putting themselves in line for awards.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have written award entries for clients and see them scoop top prize; to have won a businesswoman award (and others for my agency) and to have been on the other side of the award picture – planning and organising both the judging and event itself.

Here’s five reasons why you really should consider awards:

See how far you’ve come:
Pulling material together for an award is one very clear way of helping you assess how far you’ve come in the last year (or more) of your business, and reminding yourself of the hurdles you’ve overcome. Day to day you may not notice the small triumphs, but collating this kind of award-specific content encourages you to take a helicopter view of your journey so far.

It’s one more gold star in credibility:
Even being seen as a shortlisted candidate potentially means some publicity in trade or regional press, or a stamp at the end of your e-mail sign off. It serves to remind current and potential new customers that you’re right up there with the best, and you’re recognised as such.

Team Togetherness:
When your team know you’re intending to run for an award, it tends to create a huge sense of pride and motivation that they’re part of this great ‘machine’ and that they form part of a crusading journey. They’ll benefit individually from the anticipation and from any pre or post publicity. If you decide to go for an award, share the experience as much as possible with your colleagues (including the party of the awards night of course!).

Luring fresh blood:
Just as the gold star of credibility has an effect in terms of potential new business, it also helps you rise in favour with those looking for work. Knowing that you’re a shortlisted or award-winning business will make you all the more attractive to good candidates – even if you’re not currently recruiting just yet.

Good old fashioned media attention:
Few awards operate without some kind of publicity machine attached – whether that’s local press or your industry magazine. Even as a shortlisted business, you’ll benefit from that coverage.It will serve to push your name out among those who have never heard of you and your services, or refresh the memory of those who haven’t seen you for a while. Remember to make the most of any winning or shortlisting and exploit that potential PR machine for all its worth!